Recording-machine for liquid fuel and the like



F. EVANS.

aeconnme momma ron uqum FUEL AND THE LIKE.

. APPLICATION FILED (mi-15,1918. 1,348,791 Patented Aug. 3,1920.

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anuewroz F. EVANS.

RECORDING MACHINE FOR uoum FUEL AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 0C!" 15. 1918- Patented Aug. 3,1920.

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F. EVANS.

RECORDING MACHINE FOR LI UID FUEL AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED DU. 15. IBM].

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

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F. EVANS.

RECORDING MACHINE FOR LIQUID FUEL AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATIGN' FILED 0m, 15, 1.91s.

1, 348,79 1 Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

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FBED EVANS, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY.

RECORDING-MACHINE FOR IQIQUID FUEL AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application filed October 15, 1918. Serial No. 258,261.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED EVANS, residing at Summit, in the county of Union and State of New Jerse have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Recording- Machinesfor Liquid Fuel and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in recording means, and more particularly to an apparatus designed to be connected and associated with various forms of dispensing and measuring apparatus now employed in connection with liquid fuel, oil, such as gasolene, kerosene, and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple yet effective apparatus adapted to be mounted upon machines of the above character, as now constructed and marketed,

which will give a faithful and accurate record not only of the operation of the machine, but will make a record of the person or persons whose duties are to operate the dis ensing apparatus.

nother object of the invention is to provide apparatus of this character, wherein a plurality of se arate records are made, one for the proprie or, one for the customer, and one for the person operating the machine, whereby each hasa check upon the other, and whereby the record made for the proprietor of the business is so taken care of, or deposited during the operation of the machine, that neither the employee, nor the customer, can get access thereto for the purpose of changing or altering the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above character, wherein the liquid fuel dispensing apparatus cannot be .operated unless by a person duly authorized so to do, and who has been furnished with the proper means for determining the operation of the machine.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will me in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles, constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will'be indicated in the appended claims.; v

In the accompanying drawing sf wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a front elevationalview, showing my invention mounted upon a combined gasolene dispensing and measuring apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1.

- Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

F g. 4 is a vertical sectional View showing the nternal construction of the device.

Fig. 5 IS a horizontal sectional view taken through the upper portion of the device, alsoshowing the internal construction.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional, view taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 4, showing a slightly different embodiment of the registering means.

Fig. 7 is a view of a card adapted to be employed in connection with this machine, and upon which a record is to be made of the operation of the machine; and

Fig. 8 is an elevational view showing the recording means.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views thereof, the reference numeral 1 denotes a portion of a liquid fuel dispensing apparatus, the present machine being what is commonly known as a Bowser pump by means of which a flow of liquid fuel is discharged through a nozzle 2, by the operation of the usual rack 3, the lower end of which is connected with a suitable pumping device, and which rack is operated through a pinion, not shown, connected with the operating handle 4. The rods 5 and 6 secured to the support I, extend upwardly and form the frame or support of a head 7, which carries the upper end of the rack 3, and also supports the mechanism employed in operating'the same. I

All the parts thus far described are of usual construction and they are present in this type of liquid fuel dispensing apparatus.

The reference numeral 8 denotes a casing preferably of substantially rectangular form, which is provided with brackets 9 and 10, by means of which it may be detachably mounted upon'a liquid fuel dispensing machine; brackets 9, for instance, embracing the rod 5, and bracket 10 the rod 6, both of said brackets being securely clamped thereto, so that the casing 8 as a whole is fixedly secured'to the dispensing apparatus.

The reference numeral 11 denotes an auxiliary rack, one end of which is secured at 12 to the lower end of the rack 3, and the upper end sliding through a sleeve or bracket 13 fastened to the casing 8. Back 11 is arranged in parallel relation with the rack 3 and of course operates in unison with it, and during such operation operates the pinion 14, mounted upon the shaft 15.

Mounted upon the shaft 15 is a plurality of pinions 16, one of which is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and these pinions are in constant mesh with the racks 17 and 18 upon a slide 19 which is carried in suitable guides 20 and 21. This slide, in the present instance, at its upper end carries the cutting or perforating mechanism, which is adapted to make the record upon the record receiving member. In Fig. 8 of the drawings I have shown a preferred embodiment of the record making means, the same comprisin two sets of pins denoted generally at 22 and 23 respectively, said pins being mounted or clamped upon a block 24, carried upon the slide 19, as by means of the upright arms 25 and 26, so that a space is provided beneath the perforating members 22 and 23 to receive the record receiving member, so that when the slide 19 is depressed, as will hereinafter be described, the perforating members 22 and 23 will be caused to engage with said record receiving member and perforate the same. The slide 19 is normally held in its upward position by means of a bolt 27 guided in a bracket 28, the end of which engages with a slot 29 provided in the arm 25 of the slide 19, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 8 of the drawings. The means for releasing the slide from its locked position will presently be described.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the reference numerals 30 and 31 respectively denote upper and lower guide members, carried by brackets 32 and 33, secured to a supporting frame 34 mounted within the casing 8, said frame in the present instance forming a support for all the mechanism in the casing, so that the same may be removed as an entirety.

Mounted in the guide members 30 and 31 are a plurality of pins 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 respectively, the lower end of each pin being pointed, as shown, so that it may more easily penetrate the record receiving member The upper end of pins 35 to 39 inclusive are provided with arms 40, carried by heads 41, mounted upon the upper end of each pin, said arms extending laterally inparallel relation, and having key engaging portions 42. Secured to each pin underneath guide member 31 is an arm 43, all the arms secured to the pins extending laterally and are provided' with depending portions or pins 44, which are likewise sharpened or pointed so as to more easily penetrate the record receiving member or card.

The pins '44 and the pins 35 to 39 inclusive, are arranged in parallel relation and have their lower ends normally lying in a common plane, that is to say, pins 35 to 39 inclusive lie in one plane, the pins 44 lie in another plane, and each of the pins 35 to 39 inclusive lies in a plane parallel with one of the pins 44 and said plane is at right angles to the common plane of both sets of pins. 45 indicates the slide mounted between suitable guide members 46, which has a part 47, which is normally opposite the slot of a keyhole which extends through a block 48 carried upon the front wall of the casing 8.

The reference numeral 49 indicates a lever pivoted as at 50 to the frame 34, said lever being held in its normal position as by means of a retractile spring 51. One end 52 of the lever 49 is adapted to operate the slide 45, that is to say, to lift said slide so that the part or abutment 47 thereof will be carried out of registry with the key slot in the block 48. The opposite end 53 of said lever 49 is provided with an inclined or cammed surface 54, the purpose of which will be apparent hereinafter.

55 indicates a slot extending through the casing 8, said slot leadin to a table 56 carried by the frame 34. Table 56 has its side edges turned upwardly and inwardly, as shown at 57 and 58 (Fig. 6) to form guides for the record receiving member or card 59, illustrated in Fig. 7. This record receiving member when inserted in the slot 55 rests upon the table 56 between the guide memhere 57 and 58 which are so disposed as to always position the cord in a precise lateral position with respect to the perforating means, so that the latter will always operate at predetermined ascertained positions upon said record receiving member. In other words, the card 59 fits the guides 57 and 58 to a nicety.

60 indicates a bell-crank lever carried upon the shaft 61 journaled within the frame 34, one end 62 of said lever extending upwardly through a'slot 63 provided in the trble 56 immediately behind the latter, so that when the card is inserted in the slot 55 it will engage with the stop 62, which will operate not only to rest its inward movement, but to determine its position with respect to the perforating or record receiving means.

The arm 64 of the bell-crank lever 60 is connected by means of a link 65 with a wheel 66 journaled upon the shaft 67, the link 65 being connected eccentrically thereof so that it can rotate the same. lVheel 66 is provided with an arm 68 which is adapted to engage with an anti-friction roller 69 upon a slide 70, guided in a bracket 71.

A retractile spring 72 normally holds the wheel 66 in a position shown in Fig. 4, so that the arm 68 is in engagement with a stop downwardly the cam member 74: engaging the cam surface will move the bolt rearwardly against the tension of the spring 79 and out of, the slot 29 of the arm 25 of the slide 19, thereby unlocking the record producing mechanism.

Referring now to the perforating mechanism comprised by the pins 35 to 39 inclusive, and 44, as already indicated, both sets of said pins are operated by means of the arms 40, and each of the arms 40 is provided with a key engaging portion 42, said key engaging portions 42 being spaced apart and lying in a common plane and immediately beneath the slot in the head 48 through which the key is adapted toextend.

The key 80, which when inserted is adapted torpermit the operation of the mechanism, is provided with at least one lateral projection 81, which when the key is properly inserted in the slot, will engage one of the key engaging portions 42 of an arm 40, so that when the key, after insertion,is rotated, this lateral projection will engage one of said key engaging portions and depress the pin upon which the arm carrying said key engaging portion is positioned, so that the lower end ofsaid pin will be caused to perforate the card lying upon the table 56,

the table being perforated so that pins maypass therethrough in perforating the card. A safety device 82 is provided with a plurality of teeth 83 adapted to receive the slots 84 provided in the key. The object of this construction is to prevent the operation of the machine unless a key of predetermined construction is inserted in the slot. The key is also of sufficient width at its inner end as indicated at 85, so that when said key is rotated it will engage with the arm 68 of the wheel 66, and depress the same, so that the wheel 66 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow through the link' 65 so that the bell-crank lever 60 will move the stop 62 from the path of the card; that is, it will move the stop 62 to a position beneath the horizontal plane of the table 56. The downward movement of the arm 68, as abovedescribed, will also move downwardly the rod or slide 70 so that the bolt 27 will be retracted, as has already been described.

The construction of the key engaging parts 42 are such that when they have been caused to move their arms downwardly, whereby the pins operated thereby will perforate the card, they will slip off the lateralprojection of the key, plermitting one of the springs 86 to move t e pair of pins de pressed to the normal position shown in Fig, 4, heads 87 being provided upon each pin against which the springs 86 operate.

It, is intended that the key shall be turned to an angle of 90, during which movement the perforating pin engaged will be depressed to perforate the record receiving member and allowed to retract. The key,

however, will remain in its moved position at an angle of 90-to hold the arm 68, and through this arm the stop 62, and the bolt 27, in their retracted positions.

88 indicates a shaft which extends trans- I versely of the casing and is provided upon its outer end with a crank arm 89, and an operating handle 90. Mounted upon said shaft is a feed wheel 91, preferably formed in the present instance being located in the middle portion of said shaft between sections 93 and 94 of the feed wheel 91. This cutting member is also located directly in line with a line of perforations 95 providedupon the record receiving member 59.

96 indicates a toothed wheel loosely mounted upon the shaft 97, the teeth 98 of which are adapted to engage with the perforations 95 of therecord receiving member 59 when the same is inserted in the slot 55. A retrograde movement of the wheel 96 is prevented by means of a pawl 99 and ratchet 100. Thus the wheel 96 must always move in a position indicated by the arrow.

Carried upon the rear 'of the slide 19 is an arm 101, the outer end of which is provided with a spring pressed pawl 102 pivoted as'at 103, which is normally urged toward the wheel 96 and the tooth 98 thereof, as by means of the sprin 104, a pair of opposed stops 105 limiting tl le throw of the pawl in the direction of the wheel 96.

A table 106 is mounted to the rear of the feed wheel 91 over which the parts of the record receiving member pass when open ated upon by the cutter, and at the rear end of this table there is provided a slide or chute 107 down which a part of the severed record member slides to the exterior of the casing, where it is received upon a" platform 108, where it may be grasped by the operator. 109 indicates a box or chammoved from the casing as by means of the handle 113 for the purpose of removing the slips of the record receiving member which have been deposited therein.

Referring now to the record receiving member or card 59, it will be noted that the same is divided into three similar parts designated as a, b, and 0. Part a is adapted to be folded rearward upon part I), along the line indicated at 03 so as to lie in engagement therewith. This line, therefore, divides parts a and b. Part 6 is divided from part c by the line of perforations indicated at 95, said line of perforations when the part a is folded over upon the back of part b forming a medium line of the record receiving member. In the present instance the card is marked to indicate the number of the salesman and has spaces whereupon can be written the names and addresses of the persons to whom the goods are to be dispensed, and each card is divided into a plurality of squares, the squares appearing crosswise of the card being adapted to record progressively the material in quart units.

Referring now to Fig. 8 of the drawings, it will be noted that the perforating members 22 and 23 vary in length, and they are arranged to shorten progressively from the outermost to the innermost thereof, the object of which will be presently apparent.

Having described this embodiment of my invention, the manner of operating the same may be now understood:

When the parts are in normal position the keyhole slot indicated at 114 is closed by means of the abutment 47 and it is therefore impossible to insert a key therein. To start the operation of the machine it would. be necessary to insert the record receiving member or card into the slot 55 so that the same will engage with the cam surface 54 of the lever 49, whereby the inner end will be depressed and the outer end raised to lift the slide 45, thereby carrying the abutment 47 from out of register with the keyhole so that the key may be inserted therein. Before the record receiving member is inserted in the slot 55 it is, of course, folded over upon the line (1 in the manner above described.

After the record receiving member has engaged with the cam surface 54 the perforations thereof will come into engagement with the teeth 98 of the wheel 96, thereafter turning said wheel until the inner edge of the record members comes into engagement with the stop 62. This slight turning movement of the wheel 96 is permitted by reason of the nawl and ratchet connection thereof with the shaft 97 When the record member has come into engagement with the stop 62 the key is inserted in the slot in the manner shown in Fig. 6 of puncture the record receiving member at a point dependent upon the location of the projection of the key.

It will be understood that in practice that each person whose duty it is to operate the dispensing apparatus will be provided with a key, and each key will be of a different character. That is to say, the lateral projecticn 81 on salesman No. 1 will be located near the inner end of the key ;salesman No. 2 will have a key in which the lateral projection is located in the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings ;-and so on, so that the first function performed by the initial turning movement of the key will be to indicate upon the record receiving member in one of the spaces provided the particular person or salesman who intends to operate the machine. As already stated, this key is to be turned to an angle of 90. Before this point in the turning movement of the key is reached, however, the key engaging part 42 will have slipped from engagement with the key and the perforating parts will have been returned to normal position through the action of one of the springs 86. The record receiving member will then have been punched or perforated to indicate the per son who has been operating the machine. \Vhen the key has been rotated to an angle of 90 it is left in that position so that the part 85 thereof will have depressed the arm (58 of the wheel 66 thereby removing the stop 62 from the path of the card and unlocking the slide carrying the perforating mechanism through the retraction of the bolt 27. The operator can then turn the crank 4 of the Bowser pump, or similar apparatus, thereby lifting both of the racks 3 and 11. The raising of the rack 11, causing a pinion 14 to rotate, will, through pinion 16, move the rack 17 downwardly, thereby moving the slide 19 downwardly and carrying the perforated members 22 and 23 into engagement with the card. At this point it may be stated that the initial positioning of the card into the machine so that it will engage with the stop 62 has so positioned it that upon the first descent of the pcrforating members 22 and 23 the longest points, which are indicated at e and 6, will perforate the card at the points f and f that is to say, the point P will perforate both of the spaces marked f, inasmuch as they are superposed one upon the other; and the point 6 will perforate the space indicated at f.

If no further downward movement of the perforating method were effected, the perforations of the record receiving member at f and f would indicate that a quart of the fluid had been dispensed, the parts being so positioned and timed that a descent of the perforating means to perforate the card is sufficient to have discharged a quart of material. During the continued movement of the slide 19 downwardly, as compelled by a further upward movement of the rack "11, will carry the remaining perforating points into engagement with the record receiving member, and when the limit of the down-' ward movement has been reached all the spaces or squares in the lineof the s uares f and f will have been punched or per orated, which would indicate that a gallon of the material had been dispensed. In the machine bein described it is understood that a gallon o the material would be dispensed for each complete upward movement of the rack 3.

Durin the descent of the slide 19 the arm 101 118.5%)8811 carried downwardly with it, and when the crank 4 of the pump is operated to move downwardl the rack 3, the u ward movement of the s 'de 19, carrying t e arm 101 will cause the pawl 102 to engage the preceding tooth .of the wheel 96, with which it was theretofore engaged, thus causing the rotation ofthe wheel'96 through a space of one tooth, whereby'the record receiving member will be moved rearwardly along the plate 56, a space of-one square; so that upon a repetition of the heretofore described operation of the machine, that is to say, an upward movement of the rack 3 of the pumping apparatus will again cause the perforating members to punch or perforate the next series of squares of the 'rec-.

ord receiving member.

As above described, a partial depression of the rack 19 will result in an indication in the proper square of a fractional part of a gallon with a quart as a unit. This operation will, of course, be repeated, whereby a record receivin member will be perforated in triplicate. en the desired amount of liquid has been dispensed, the record receiving member will have been carried between the sections 93 and 94 of the feed roller,91 and the plate or bed upon which the record receiving member rests, whereupon an operation of the handle 90 will move said record receiving member along its support, so that the circular knife 92 will sever the card in two parts along the line of perforation 95. The part c of the record receiving member will be deposited in the box 109 within the interior of the machine so that it is inactrated in Fig. 6, a slight modification has been made in the recording means, that is to say, instead of perforating the card in the squares indicated, a plurality of cutting members or knives 115 and 116 are provided, whereby the length of the slot cut in the edge of the record receiving member will indicate the quantity of material dispensed. I prefer, however, to employ the perforating means illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawin s.

It will accordingly be seen that I have provided a construction well adapted to attain, among others, all the aims and objects above pointed out, in an exceedingly simple yet efiicient manner. It will be seen that the device is always closed against manipulation when the machine is not in operation, and in order to permit the same to be operated it is first necessary to insert a record receiving member therein, whereupon the proper key must be inserted to unlock the parts, and that the unlocking of the parts indicates upon the record receiving member the person who has inserted the key. Thereafter a complete record of the transaction is had in triplicate, as above described.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the followin claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative onl and not in a limiting sense.

aving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a pump, of recording mechanism associated therewith, said recording mechanism comprising a plurality of sets of recording means, a record receiving member, a ke said recording mechanism being normal y inaccessible to said key, said record receiving member when inserted in said recording mechanism being adapted to render the same accessible to said key, said key when inserted in said recording receiving mechanism being adapted to operate the latter to cause one set of said recordin means to produce a record upon said recor receiving member, and said pump when operated being adapted to cause the other set of recording means to produce another record upon said record recelving member.

2. In apparatus for dispensing liquid in measured quantities, of mechanism associated therewith for recording the uantity of liquid dispensed, comprising a p urality of sets of perforating members, a record receiving member adapted to be perforated thereby, means operating upon one set of perforating members adapted to selectively operate them, whereby a record of one character is produced upon said record receiving member, and said dispensing means being adapted to operate the other set of perforating members, whereby one or more thereof produces another record upon said record receiving member.

3. In a machine for dispensing liquids in measured quantities, of recording mechanism associated therewith, adapted for recording the quantities of liquid dispensed upon a record receiving member, said recording mechanism comprising a plurality of sets of perforating members adapted to perforate said record receiving member, means for selectively operating the perforating members of one set to produce a record upon said record receiving member, and means for operating the other set of perforating members in unison, whereby one or more of them is caused to produce a record upon said record receiving member.

4;. In apparatus for dispensing liquid in measured quantities, of recording mecha nism associated therewith, a record receiving member comprising a card adapted to be folded so that corresponding spaced portions thereof are in superposed relation,said recording mechanism comprising a plurality of sets of perforating devices adapted to perforate said card, and said card being adapted to be inserted into said recording mechanism in folded condition, means for selectively operating one set of said perforating members, whereby a record is produced upon said card by one or more perforations thereof, and said dispensing apparatus being adapted to operate the other set of perforating devices whereby one or more of said perforating members will perforate said card to produce a record of a different character.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRED EVANS. Witnesses:

EMMA WVEINBERG, MAROY LEVY. 

